Silver birch, Bettwys-y-Coed, Wales

Although Watts painted in oil and watercolour, the latter was his preferred medium. A group of twenty watercolours was recently dispersed in The Fuller Collection of Victorian Landscape Watercolours, Christie's, London, 7 April 2000, lots 119-138. Educated at the Birmingham School of Art, Watts's work was characterised by adherence to Ruskinian principles. He was fascinated by the play of light on leaves, bracken, lichen and rocks and he concentrated on the depiction of wooded landscapes in varying times of the day and year. Having moved to Liverpool he showed regularly at the Liverpool Academy where his work became much sought after.